Name plate mounting means



INVENTOR. 0404 0 [Jcywzucz A 6 J H "Al "4v 2 W 4 0 ///,r 2 f N T \I I II I I I I I I I I I w July 4, 1950 Filed March 50, 1946 Patented July 4,1950 STATES PATENT-:7 oFrlcE v Edmund F. vSchwell e r, Dayton, Ohio,assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a

corporation of Delaware Application March 30, 1946, Serial No. 658,563

1 Claim.

I This invention relates to cabinet constructions and particularly tomeans for securing an element upon the wall of a cabinet.

In recent years refrigerator and other cabinets have been provided withmetal exterior walls that have a layer or coating of vitreous enamelbaked thereon. v This provides a porcelain-like finish on the wallswhich is brittle, thereby rendering it difficult to fasten or securename plates or other elements upon the wall without chipping or crackingthe finish thereon. 'When screws or bolts are passed through openings inthe enamel wall to secure the element thereto, they are often threadedso tight that the porcelain is chipped or cracked about the edge of theopenings. The present invention is directed to a novel method ofanchoring name plates or other elements upon porcelain coated metalwalls without danger of chipping or cracking the porcelain.

An object of my invention is to provide a simplified, low cost andeasily assembled structure for securing a name plate or'the like elementupon a cabinet wall.

Another object of my invention is to provide fastening means for a rigidfragile plate securing structure, which will engage the cabinet wallbeyond theedge of an opening in'the wall through which a part of thestructure projects so as to prevent chipping of the porcelain coating onthe wall and breakage of the name plate.

In carrying out the foregoing objects it is a still further and morespecific object of my invention to provide a member for fastening a nameplate or the like element to a metal cabinet wall which has integralportions bent over one another for tightly clamping the plate theretowith a predetermined force and which portions are extended through slotsin the wall to provide anchoring means for the plate and its supportingmember.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearlyshown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of a sheet metal member from which the name platesupporting member of the present invention is formed;

Fig. 2 is a view of the member shown in Fig. 1 after it has been bentinto a shape adapted to receive the name plate;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the bent member disclosed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet having a name platesecured thereto by a member such as is disclosed in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on theline 5-5 of Fig. 4, showing a name plate and its supporting membersecured to a wall of the cabinet; I

Fig. 6 is a fragmentaryvertical sectional View taken on the line ,6-6 ofFig. 5; and d Fig. '7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line1-4 of Fig. 5 with the wall insulation removed showing a securing springclip.

Referring to the drawings, for illustrating. the present invention, Ihave shown in Fig. 1 there of a flat piece of sheet metal l0 havingportions cut out as at H, l2 and I3 and having integral portions l4 andI5 adjacent the cut-out portions. The edges of the long sides of therectangular metal member III are bent to provide a pair of opposedflanges l8 extendingoutwardly from one face of member ID and theconnecting or integral portions I4 and 15 of the member are folded orbent as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. By folding the portions I4 andI5 as shown a substantially V-shaped portion I1 extends outwardly fromthe other face of member 10 for a purpose to be presently described. Themember ID formed as described provides a supporting element for a nameplate or the like adapted to be attached to a wall of a cabinet.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings, I have shown a refrigerating apparatus of thehousehold type including a cabinet generally represented by thereference character 20. Cabinet 20 includes insulated walls surroundinga food storage chamber therein and a door 2| providing access to thechamber, forms one of these walls. Both the cabinet 20 and door 2| havesheet metal exterior walls covering insulating material 23 disposedbehind these walls and which walls have their outer surface coated witha vitreous enamel or porcelain substance. The outer metal wall 22 ofdoor 2| is provided with a pair of elongated slots 24 (see Figs. 5 and6) adapted to receive the V- shaped portion l-l after this portion hasbeen further bent as will now be described. A name plate or the likeelement 21 is placed between the opposed flanges I G on member l0 andthen the fold I1 is closed, to draw the edges of the cut-out portionsII, l2 and I3 toward one another and to bring both wall parts of theportions l4 and I5 into abutting relation, for clamping the flanges l6tightly against plate 21 and to provide the double walled projectionsindicated at 26 in Figs. 5, 6 and '7 of the drawings. Plate 21 may beformed of glass or any other suitable rigid fragile pears-nee of theinsignia of name tially fixed distance or dimension between the opposedflanges I 6 so as to maintain theplate 21 in assembled relation upon itssupporting member It] with a predetermined clamping force. Thereafterbowed spring clip means 29 are wedged be tween the wall 22 and theprojections 26tto lock the member l0 upon the wall. Each rectangularspring clip 29 includes legs 3I-(sTeeFigs15and 7) which bear against theinner surface-of wall'22.

Each clip 29 is also cut out to receive the double walled projections 26and two edges of the cut- Clips out portion are formed into a V-shape.29 are slit adjacent the cut-out portions'tliereof as at 32 to permitthe edges of the V-shaped ears 33 tel-springing grip" both sans fif thdouble walled projections 26 wedging-a clip' 29 be tween wall 22 and theprtijectioiis 2 6' the member l'llaiid eohseduentlji plate 21-arerigidly locked iipdii'the iii-211122; Legs 3| ofclips 29 swinging 1ybear against the llat points remote from the edge of the'slot'sfi 'l' inwall 22 and therefore no rigid tightening pressure-8r force applied tothe edges of 'thesl ots 24. Member HT may be plated with anysuitablesubstance' such, for example, as chromiiiiii or the -l-ik'e forincreasing the refleeting quality thereof so as tof'enliance the'ap- V rv v incorporated in the glass or plastic platen;

It will" be apparent that I have provided eflective 10w cost fastening"arrangement for anchoring a name plate' or thelike to a porcelaincoated metal 'w'afi'which be quickly "applied to the wau wit-noutaafigerorchippingor crack ing theenainel thereon; In the present arrange= 7merit the sheet metal member; in addition tocan tying the name plate;also otlides theanclior mg projections which extend; tlireii {the "wall;

I fi't'hjis manner '1 haVejrdmJ cftU aifiiniigiium the e 111' her sma tsrequ red "to securafplateto a wall; l

.While the forii'ikof enibodiment' of int/e11 tion as hereindisclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claim whichfollows.

What is claimed is as follows:

In combination, a wall having a slot therein, a rigid plate means formounting the plate upon said wall, said means eoihpi 'isih lail-substantially non-resilient sheet metal member having outwardly andforward extending opposed flanges bent toward each other, the rigidplate being dis- I i p t posed between-said flanges on said member, saidsheet metal member also having a rearwardly extending integral portionintermediate said flange; said integral portion of said "memb'rbeingrevnsely :bent providing a double walled projectionj for insertion intothe slot in said wall, the double walls of said projection beiiigbroiight into and being maintained in abutment ith one another clue toits substantial ndmrsauensy to p'rovid' a fined between said flanges ihgsulis'taiitially'the same width as said I foi 'clampiiig saidi'igidplate to said "mas-pa wit apreaetrmnied clamping force antidor prmttmgsaia insertion without disturbing the-abutting relati'onjof'walls ofsaid projection" and a separate spring @1115 wedged between 1d wan apoi'tibfibf s d projection-e itendedthroiigli the slot therein forlocking the sheetmta'l membrane ti; Watt v EI'D'MUND REFERENCES CITED ofthi'si iiate umwssisw sias 1 A fENTB Number i Re. 13,896 Apr. -e, r91 5

